When is the next junior doctor strike? April 2023 walkout dates
Despite strikes by nurses, ambulance staff and rail workers being called off, junior doctors are still set to walk out this April.
The three biggest health unions – the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the GMB – have all recommended their members accept the deal offered to them, which involves a 5% pay rise in April and a one-off payment of at least £1,655.
This is on top of the 4.75% pay rise they received last year.
But the British Medical Association (BMA) has insisted only a 35% increase will do for junior doctors to make up for 15 years of below-inflation rises.
The BMA says: ‘While workload and waiting lists are at record highs, junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008’.
The strikes follow a 72-hour walkout by junior doctors from March 13-15 which had a major impact on patient care.
So, when are junior doctors set to strike and what is the likely impact? Here’s all you need to know.
When are junior doctors going on strike?
The next strike by junior doctors will be for four days, from Tuesday, April 11-Saturday, April 15.
During the 96-hour strike, emergency care will still be available and you should still call 999 for any serious injury or illness where there is a risk to life.
But the strike is likely to affect routine appointments and in-patient treatment.
When the last junior doctors’ strike took place, 175,000 outpatient appointments and operations were rescheduled.
However, the advice is to attend any pre-booked appointments unless you are told otherwise.
Why are junior doctors walking out?
Junior doctors are set to strike over their pay, ‘increasing workloads’ and a lack of staff.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says junior doctors have been left with no choice but to take industrial action, adding: ‘A crippling cost-of-living crisis, burnout and well below inflation pay rises risk driving hard working doctors out of their profession at a time when we need them more than ever.
‘If junior doctors are forced out of the NHS because of poor pay and conditions, the services we all rely on to look after our loved ones will suffer.’
Dr Robert Laurenson, who co-chairs the BMA’s junior doctor committee, said: ‘It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action.
‘The government has dragged its feet at every opportunity.
‘It has not presented any credible offer and is refusing to accept that there is any case for pay restoration, describing our central ask as “unrealistic” and “unreasonable”.’
Junior doctors who are members of the other medical union, the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) will also strike.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay, says the pay claim is ‘unaffordable.’
MORE : All strikes planned for April 2023 – from Heathrow airport to passport staff
MORE : Junior doctors like me aren’t just striking over pay – it’s for your safety too
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